Target-angle trainer



Sept. 26, 1950 cs. E. WATSON 2,523,345

TARGET-ANGLE TRAINER Filed Sept. 13, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. GEORGE E. Warsorv A T TOR'NEY Sept. 26, 1950 G. E. WATSON 2,523,345

TARGET-ANGLE TRAINER Filed Sept. 13, 1946 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. GEORGE E. Wars-0N A TTGK/VE Y Patented Sept. 26, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TARGET-ANGLE TRAINER George E. Watson, United States Navy Application September 13, 194 Serial No. 696,967

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 5 Claims.

This invention relates in general to a training device and in particular to a target-angle trainer that is adapted to acquaint students with the appearance of objects from various angles and to enable them to determine readily the relative angle of the object.

In training military and naval students, it is customary to train the students to identify ships, aircraft and other military and naval equipment from various angles so that the students are able to recognize friendly and enemy forces and with extreme speed be able to determine the angle of approach of such forces. Inasmuch as great numbers of students must be trained, it has been necessary to resort to classroom teaching rather than to individual instruction, with certain previbusly unavoidable difliculties. For example in the identification of war ships and inangle identification, i. e., determination'o'f the angle of the ships heading with respect to the direction between the ship and the person sighting it, it is the usual practice for the instructor to place a model of the ship on a flat surface in front of the class of students, at an angle which he chooses. In such a situation a student directly in front of the instructor sees the ship from one angle whereas .a student noticeably to one side or the other sees the ship from a decidedly different angle. This is a serious drawback to the effectiveness of the instruction. Numerous other difficulties of greater or lesserefiect likewise exist in conventional methods.

It is an object of this invention to provide a training device that is adapted to present an object, e. g., a model of military or naval equipment, to a student in a predetermined position and angle.

It is another object to provide a target-angle trainer for military identification training that is adapted to present a model of military or naval equipment to a student in a predetermined position and angle.

It is another object to provide a target-angle trainer comprising a pointerhaving means thereon for replaceably and rotatably mounting a model at a predetermined angle and adapted to present the model to a student at such an angle.

Further objects and advantages of this invention, as well asitsconstruction, arrangement and operation will be apparent from the following description and claims in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the training device according to one form of the invention with the superstructure .oi the. model ship omitted;

2 Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of a trainer device according to another form of this invention;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation in crosssection showing the mechanism for moving the model on the training device according to one form of the invention; and,

Fig. '5 is an isometric view of a bolt according to the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4.

There is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a target-angle trainer generally designated l0 comprising a pointer ll having a handle l2 at one end thereof and adapted to mount a model l3.

Along the pointer II and at its upper surface is mounted a scale M which is graduated to indicate the angle of the model with respect to the pointer. The fineness of the graduations is aptional; however, for most training purposes it is suflicient if the scale is graduated into eight-circles, i. e., 45 degree graduations, or at most into sixteenth-circles, i. e., twenty-two and a half degrees. Preferably these graduations are numbered in degrees from zero to 360 to indicate in naval terminology the bearing of the model with respect to the direction of the pointer, and so positioned that a reading of zero is obtained when the ship faces the same direction as the pointer.

Rotatably positioned along the upper surface of the scale 14 is an indicator 15 which points around the scale to one of the markings thereon to indicate the relative angle between the pointer and the model. Preferably, this indicator I5 is in a fixed and predetermined position with respect to the model l3.

Optionally, there is provided as shown in Fig. 2 a cross-member l6 rotatably positioned on the underside of pointer II and which in the use of the device can be positioned at right angles with respect to the pointer, thereby dividing the horizontal field around the pointer in visually separated quadrants. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 2, this cross-bar I6 is rotatable with respect to the pointer H whereby the cross-bar can be positioned at right angles to the pointer in order to illustrate the relationship between the various quadrants and the numerical bearing, and when this feature is not desired, the cross-bar Hi can be swung parallel with and adjacent to the pointer I I to remove this artificial aid to angle identification. 7

Fig. 3 shows another form of this invention comprising a pointer I I having a model I3 rotatably positioned thereon and having a scale 14 and indicator l5 (Fig. 4) to show the relative the correct predetermined angle.

position of the model with respect to the pointer. In this form of the invention, there is a cross-bar lfipositioned below the pointer H and retained 'form used in. Figs; 1 and 2. If desired, the crossbar I6 can be removably mounted on the pointer H, and can be removed therefrom when it is not desired for training purposes.

In Figs. 4 an means on the pointer ii. A bolt 18 having; a threaded portion'at one end and having a collar or flange 29 near the other end is passed through the pointer ll, scale hi and indicator IS with the flange 20 bearing against the upper surface of the indicator i and pressing the scale toward the pointer H. The bolt iE-is secured in position by means of a conventional nut 2!, which can for convenience of use be a wing nut if so desired. Optionally, projections 23 on the surface of scale [4 engage the pointer H and fix the scale in a correct position with respect to the pointer. The bolt is loosely secured into position so as to permit scale I4 and pointer i l ,to rotate with respect to the bolt. Washers 22 provide rotatable bearing surfaces where needed. A lock nut (not shown) is provided, if desired.

Extending above collar 2i! is a head 24 on the bolt which preferably is of an irregular shape and which is adapted to fitin a hole in the indicator l5 and a recess in the model 53. The irregular shape of this head 2 3 causes the model It to be located thereon in a predetermined position and to be fixed in the relative position with respect to the bolt while the pointer and scale I4 are rotated. The head 24 of the bolt is irregular in shape rather than souared so that there is a definite and predetermined front and rear edge on this head whereby the model is automatically cor- .rectly faced upon the bolt i8. Below the collar 20 is an enlarged section, for example a hexagonal section to fit in a hexagonal hole through the indicator l5, fixing the indicator with respect to the bolt l8.

In this way, the model I3 is replaceably mounted on'the pointer H always with the certainty that the model is in the correct relative position as indicated by the readingof the indicator US on scale M. A series of models can be designed to fit on the head 25 of bolt 58 thereby providing a series of training objects to be used in conjunction with the training device disclosed herein.

The use of this training device in class instruction or in individual instruction is simple and readily apparent from the construction thereof. An identification article, for example a model of a warship, is correctly positioned uporrthe device and is rotated to a desired angle with respect to the pointer as indicated by the scale reading. The instructor then directs the pointer toward a particular student who then sees the model from The cross-bar [6 can optionally be positioned at right angles to the pointer in order to outline clearly the various quadrants or' alternatively the cross-bar can 7 be positioned along and parallel with the pointer.

During early class instruction, it is found best to use theoross-bar to indicate the quadrants while in more advanced instruction, the cross-bar is unnecessary or even disadvantageous.

10 g various horizontal and vertical angles. 5 there is shown a means of mounting a model ii and the angle-indicating V In addition to the use in identifying and recognizing land or sea equipment and in angle identification in connection with this equipment, the training device can also be used in the identification of aircraft and in angle identification thereof. When the training device is used in connection with aircraft, the model of the aircraft can be positionedonthe pointer at either a vertical angle or a horizontal angle so that the student gains practice in identification of aircraft from Similarly it will be in the ability of those skilled in the art to provide on the trainer both horizontal and vertical angle adjustment with an additional scale to indicate the vertical angle, in which case the student'can'be presented with various oblique views of the model.

It-is to be understood that various modifications and changes maybe made in this invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.

The inventionv described herein may be manufactured and usedby or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is: I 4

1. A training device comprising a rod-shaped pointer visible from all directions, an identification article rotatably mounted. along the pointer, the axis of rotation being substantially perpendicular to the rod longitudinal axis, and means mounted on thepointer for determining the relative angle between identification article and the pointer. I I 2. A training device comprising a rod-shaped pointer visible from all directions, an identification article removably and rotatably mounted along the pointer, the axis of rotation being sub stantially perpendicular to the rod longitudinal axis, and a scale affixed to the pointer at the location where the identification article is mounted to indicate the angle between the identification article and the pointer- 3. A training device comprising a rod-shaped pointer visible from all directions having a crossmember rotatably mounted thereon, an identification article rotatably mounted on the pointer substantially at the intersection between said pointer'and said cross-memben'the axis of rotation being substantially perpendicular to the rod longitudinal axis, and a scale affixed to the pointer to indicate the angle between the pointer longitudinal axis and the identification article longitudinal axis. V v

4. A training device comprising a rod-shaped point-er visible from all directions, a cross-member rotatably mounted on said pointer, an identification article removably and rotatably mounted on the pointer substantially at the intersection between the'pointer and the cross-member, the axis of rotation being substantially perpendicular to the rod longitudinal axis, and a scale mounted on the pointer substantially at the intersection between the pointer and the crossmember to indicate the angles between the identification article longitudinal axis and the pointer longitudinal axis and between the cross-member longitudinal axis and the pointer longitudinal axis.

5. A training device comprising a rod-shaped pointer having a straight longitudinal axis and visible from all directions, said pointer at one end being enlarged to form a handle, said pointer at the othen'end converging substantially to a 6 point, a cross-member mounted on said pointer and adjustable about a second axis substantially perpendicular to the pointer axis, an identification article removably mounted on said pointer for rotation about the second axis, a compass scale element and an indicator element mounted for relative movement about the second axis, oneof said elements being mounted on said pointer and the otherof said elements being mounted on said article for indicating the angle between said pointer axis and the longitudinal axis of said article and said cross-member.

GEORGE E. WATSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record'in' the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 335,647 Spencer Feb. 9, 1886 782,811 Arnes Feb. 21, 1905 r 1,258,160 Slater Mar. 5, 1918 2,404,386 Levine et a1 July 23, 1946 2,418,834 Hartman Apr. 15, 1947 

